By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
CRANBOURNE MP Jude Perera has clocked up two years on the waiting list for a kidney but can now undertake dialysis, to filter his blood, from his own home.
It took Mr Perera six months to be trained in the home operated dialysis, which normally takes half that time due to a twisted fistula.
“My fistula was hard to needle, the three surgeries to fix it dragged out the whole process,” Mr Perera told Star News.
With improved flexibility, due to the home access of the vital machine, Mr Perera asserted the lengthy and seated dialysis, has never affected his output as Cranbourne MP.
“I live a normal life on dialysis, only difference is a normal person’s kidney works 24/7, mine only works for 18 hours, depending on the length of each dialysis session I do.”
Calling the home transition “fantastic”, Mr Perera said during the six hours of dialysis he often works.
“I read briefs and then might watch TV and look through Facebook.”
The 62 year old has only conducted three day sessions at home, where he needs the assistance of his wife, but in the coming week’s plans to gain the confidence to run dialysis during the evening.
“That’s the whole plan of it,” he said, to lessen the burden on daytime hours.
Mr Perera was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease in 2006 and underwent a failed kidney transplant in 2009.
“When I was diagnosed I had kidney function of 60 per cent,” he said.
Mr Perera is listed on the exchange program for a kidney, in which his wife will donate one of her kidneys to a match, and hopefully that will translate to a compatible match for Mr Perera.
However the wait could be over several years.
But Mr Perera said the response from a Star News article on the MP’s health battle published in July last year, was a positive one.
“I felt people are a little bit more understanding since the article,” adding that people have referenced his difficult time.
Mr Perera denied his illness has affected his presence in the community saying much of his communication with constituents is done electronically.
“All you want is to be able to communicate with your MP and get things done, communication has changed a lot, we deal with a lot of people through our website and via email,” he said.
Mr Perera said he door knocked residents of Brookland Greens over the share house planning issue and has several plans to finish what he started for Cranbourne this year.
